Jabalpur: The Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Amarkantak here spent a whopping sum of over Rs one crore on a function hosted in its campus in 2009, a RTI query, filed by Madhya Pradesh High Court lawyer Nityanand Mishra, has revealed.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in response to the RTI application, disclosed that Rs 21.91 lakh went only for tent, chairs, flowers and other decorations for the inaugural function of the premier institute on January 29, 2009, for which the administration failed to produce any substantiating bills.

Quoting last year's CAG report, the lawyer said that the University, under its Vice-Chancellor Professor C D Singh spent Rs 8-crore without proper bills under different heads.

The University, according to the report spent Rs 1,04,21,000 for the function.

The CAG also dismissed the contention of the University that it spent the money following approval from higher-ups. It also pulled up the University authorities for favouring a contractor who was given construction contract worth Rs 5.5 crore in gross violation of the laid down procedures.

Before awarding such a contract, the University should have got prior approval from the Central Public Work Organisation (CPWO) and invited qualified contractors through open tenders.

The national auditor also found irregularities in purchase of furniture, maintenance of a rented house to accommodate the make-shift office of the VC among other things, the lawyer said. The lawyer said he would approach the CBI for a probe into the alleged corruption.

The CAG, according to the lawyer, held the VC responsible for mismanagement of the public funds.

The VC was not available for comment even after repeated attempts. However, a senior official on the condition of anonymity said the CAG findings were "mere observations" and said there was no corruption in the use of funds.